


Starting Anew

by ClaraHue



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23825677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaraHue/pseuds/ClaraHue
Summary: Harley is a free woman after leaving the Joker and befriends Ivy
Relationships: Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 1
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

Harley stepped on the gas, letting her hair whip in the opened top of her convertible. She was a free woman, a criminal mastermind with a Ph.D. in psychology. She could do whatever the fuck she wanted. Go wherever the fuck she wanted.

-

Bruce jumped up onto Harley’s lap.

"Get out of the way Bruce, you stink." She tossed a slice of meat from her plate across the room, and the hyena raced after it. "Maybe I should take you for a walk." She contemplated. It seemed like a good idea, but first, she needed to stylize.

An hour later, Harley had Bruce leashed up with a diamond-studded pink leash and collar. Her sunglasses covered her eyes as she sipped the gas store slushy she stole. Bruce did his business, and Harley made no move to pick it up, slyly dropping her cup onto the ground as well.

"Aren't you going to pick that up?"

Harley turned to see a red-headed woman glaring intensely at her. She did not seem happy. Harley hummed in confused innocence.

"Your cup. It's not good to litter, you know. Plastic is one of the main killers to our ecosystems."

"Yeah, sure," Harley said as Bruce began to pull at his leash.

"Is that a hyena?! How do you have a hyena? Do you know how dangerous they are? Exotic pets are dangerous."

"Look, I got to go," Harley said as Bruce began to pull hard, giving her no other option than to be pulled along.

-

The next day Harley was exploring the area around her new apartment. She stumbled upon a small flower shop and decided to go in, thinking that maybe she should get a house plant. The bell above the door jingled with a warm, welcoming sound. Inside, plants covered every space. Crystals, chimes, fountains, and statues covered almost everything else. It was like another world inside the shop.

"Can I help you?"

Harley pushed away some branches to see who had spoken. She instantly recognized the red-head from the other day. "The crazy hippie lady."

The woman crossed her arms with a scowl. "I'm not crazy, and hippies are so last century. What do you want?"

"Do you have any plants that are easy to take care of? Like ones that won't die? Oh, a cactus! Yeah, I want a cactus!"

"Right this way." She moved to show Harley to a cluster of cactuses.

"Perfect." Harley clapped her hands together.

The red-head wandered away as Harley choose the spikiest cactus. She carried it to the checkout counter where the woman now stood behind.

"Pam." Harley read her name tag. She couldn't help but think it was a horrible name.

The woman scanned through the item. "Wait, aren't you the Joker's girlfriend?"

"We broke up actually.” Harley swayed back and forth, trying to act casual about it.

"You really should do something about hiding your appearance. Most people in this part of town don't like criminals, or villains."

"Duly noted." Harley took her plant with a smile. "Have a nice day."


	2. Chapter 2

The chemical plant seemed to be glaring at Harley, a striking reminder of her relationship with the Joker.

That night Harley loaded up on explosives and a bolt cutter, breaking into the facility. She danced as she placed the explosives down, humming to herself.

Then she heard a creak on the metal walkways. Crutching down, she tiptoeing along, holding the bolt cutter like a weapon.

She expected to find a security guard, but what she found was the strangest thing. Standing over the vat of chemicals stood a green-skinned woman covered in plants. A black bodysuit, like the ones gymnasts wore hugged her body. Bright red hair draped over her back. She was sprinkling something into the chemicals. Harley watched her for a few seconds, intrigued by this new figure.

"Hey lady, you might want to get out of the building!" Harley called over to her.

The woman turned, shocked to see Harley. "What are you doing here?!"

"Blowing the place up," Harley said, walking over.

"You can't!"

"Why not?" Harley pushed her hand against her hip. She didn’t like people getting in the way of her fun.

"Blowing up this place could release the toxic chemicals into the air."

Harley hadn't thought of that. She took in the stranger, wondering why she cared. "Pam!" It hit her suddenly. The woman was identical, minus the green skin, from the one that owned the flower shop.

"I'm Poison Ivy." She rolled her eyes, moving to the next vat and pouring some more powder into it.

"Poison Ivy! That’s so much better than Pam. So what are you doing anyway?"

"I've managed to create a substance that will transform the chemicals into something non-toxic."

"Wow!" Harley was impressed. "Can I still blow up the place after you’re done?"

"Fine." Ivy sighed. "Here, help me." She handed Harley a bag.

Harley took it joyfully, skipping down the walkway and pouring it into the chemical vats.

"So, you’re a criminal, then?" Harley asked as she and Ivy continued down the walkway.

"I prefer eco-terrorist."

"Oh, fancy! I like your getup, by the way."

"Thanks," Ivy spoke quietly. Harley thought she noticed a blush on her cheeks. “Why do you want to blow this place up?”

“For fun!” Harley smiled. “What kind of things does an eco-terrorist do?”

“Make statements that better the environment.”

“So you really care about all that ‘go green’ stuff then?” Harley had never concerned herself too much with that whole lifestyle.

“This world doesn’t belong to us. Plants and animals deserve a voice too, even if they don’t have one. They have a lot to benefit our society, and yet we look past them, we hurt them.” The plants that wrapped around her skin seemed to shrivel up. “Plants and animals have been kinder to me than any human.” Ivy brushed one of the flowers on her shoulder, and it opened up once more.

Harley hummed, becoming more and more fascinated with her by the minute. “I’m all out,” Harley told her after pouring the last bit of powder into the vats.

“That should be all of it.”

“I can blow the place up now?” Harley asked in excitement.

Ivy nodded, and they ran out of the building.

“You want to do the honours?” Harley asked, holding the detonator out for Ivy.

“You seem to really want to do it,” Ivy said, not taking it from her.

Harley smiled and hit the button, the explosions immediately going off in a blaze of glory. Harley started laughing with joy as debris began to rain down.

“Harley, we’re too close. Let’s get out of here,” Ivy warned her, but Harley was too enthralled with the firework show. If she were going to die, it would be in a blaze of glory like this.

“Harley!” Ivy grabbed her arm and pulled her away as fiery debris begging to fall around them.

Harley broke into a run beside her as a piece of burning metal struck her arm. She cried out in pain as they continued running, not taking a second to assess the injury.

Once they were out of the blast radius, they took a second to catch their breaths.

“You’re injured,” Ivy noted, pulling Harley’s arm closer for inspection.

“A piece of metal struck me I think.” Harley touched it but wined in pain. “I think it burnt me.”

“I’ve got some plants back at my place that could help heal it, if you want.”

“Sure!” Harley smiled, surprised at the welcoming offer.

-

Ivy’s apartment was over her shop. It was identical to the shop in the way that everything was covered in plants. It felt like a tropical rainforest in the apartment, though Harley wondered how anything grew with not much sunlight. Ivy’s apartment seemed to go on forever, maybe the maze of plants just made it feel bigger then it was. Harley found herself sitting on a couch, taking everything in as Ivy disappeared into the forest that was her apartment.

“This is quite the place you’ve got here,” Harley commented when Ivy returned.

Ivy just hummed, breaking off a leaf of a plat and rubbing the sticky juice on her burn.

“Eww, what is that?”

“Aloe Vera, great for burns.”

“Thanks,” Harley said softly. Normal human interaction had gone out the window since her running off with the Joker. Harley pulled away at the memory of him, of all the terrible decisions she made. “I should go. This was fun. See you around Pam.”


	3. Chapter 3

The man barged through the apartment door. He was a big burly man with a short, thick beard.

“You bitch!” He screamed at Harley over her soup.

“I thought I killed you?” Harley was not too alarmed by his entrance.

“You killed my brother, bitch!”

“Oh, sorry.” Harley offered with a shrug.

Bruce came running out of the bedroom and tackled the man to the ground, growling over him. The man screamed as Harley walked over.

“What was your brother’s name again?” Harley asked, circling the room. “Mark, Matt?”

“Marcus.” The man whimpered with fear as Bruce reared his fangs.

“Right! Oh, he gave me Bruce.” Harley patted her new pet's head. “I guess I have to thank him for that. But he was awfully mean to me. You see, he wanted sex. But I wasn’t about to give him that. So I killed him.”

“Please don’t kill me.” The man begged.

“But Bruce is hungry. He quiet enjoyed your brother. Maybe he’ll enjoy you too.”

The man was crying by now.

“Off Bruce.” Harley ordered the hyena.

Bruce got off the man, and the man booked it back down the stairs. “Go fetch.” Harley smiled widely, and Bruce smiled back at her before racing after his new prey.

-

Harley kicked through the bloodied remains of Marcus’ brother that lay behind the dumpsters of the apartments and shops. 

“Gross,” Harley grumbled as Bruce laughed at her, mid chomp, blood covered his snout.

Harley smiled to herself as she found the dead man’s wallet and began to rifle through it. Money, some credit cards, coins, and a few matching business cards.

Harley picked out a business card, reading it.

_Marcus and bro, exotic pets._ There was a number and an address.

When Harley had picked up Bruce, she had called the number and had met Marcus in a parking lot. But the address gave her an idea, one her new friend might like.

-

The bell to the flower shop jingled. Harley hopped over to the checkout counter. Pam, or Poison Ivy, was in her normal attire, no green skin.

“Harley, you shouldn’t be here?” Pam told her.

“Why not?” Harley asked, generally confused.

“Well, you look… like you. It’s going to attract attention.”

“Sorry, I just… I haven’t had a real-world identity since…” Harley trailed off.

Pam sighed. “How can I help you?”

“I have an offer for you actually.” Harley handed her the card.

“Exotic pets?”

“I killed the owners, but I thought we could storm the place, free the animals. I figured that would be right up your ally!”

“Alright. Tonight. Nine. My place.”

Harley nodded her head up and down rapidly. “See you then.” She said with a wide smile before slipping back out.

-

Harley put a bit of extra effort into her get up for tonight. Blue and red makeup smeared intentionally across her face. A sparkly see-through crop top with a red bra, fishnet leggings and ripped jean shorts with the pockets hanging lower than the shorts themselves. A chain necklace draped from her neck, and she wore black boots with a heel. She shouldered a knapsack full of weapons patting Bruce’s head before making her way to Ivy’s apartment. Harley climbed up the fire escape, climbing through the window the get inside the apartment. Ivy seemed to have been expecting this, standing in her living room waiting, already dressed up.

“Ready to go?” Harley asked.

Ivy nodded.

“I got a lot of stuff. I’m not sure what we’ll need. “Harley began opening the bag on the ground. “Do you have a car? I have a convertible, but it’s a bit of a walk. Or are you going to tell me that cars are bad for the environment?”

“I think I’ll let it side for this once. We can take your car.” Ivy looked over the cluster of items. “How much stuff did you bring?”

Harley shrugged.

“I’ve got explosives, so you don’t need to bring any.”

“You have explosives?” Harley was intrigued as she grabbed her bat out of the bag and a gun for good measure. “I’m good if you are.”

Ivy nodded, and they jumped out her window, walking to where Harley had stored her car.

-

“How long have you been in Gotham for?” Harley asked as they drove to the address.

“My whole life actually.”

“Recent villain?”

Ivy hummed. “I’ve done a bit here and there. I’ve never been newsworthy enough. Just goes to show you how much people don’t care about the environment.”

“That’s why you got to make a big bang.”

Ivy nodded. “So I’ve come to realize. You live your whole life in Gotham?”

“Yep.” Harley let the word pop in her mouth.

Harley spun fast round the corner, and Ivy gripped the side of the car to keep herself from sliding.

“Almost there.”

-

“Should have brought the grenade launcher.” Harley mused as they assessed the warehouse.

“Here. You’ll like this.” Ivy handed her a cotton wrapped ball. “Just light it up and throw it.”

Ivy handed her a lighter, and Harley flipped it on, lighting the fuse and tossing the ball. It exploded into a cloud of colourful dust and a bang.

“Wow!” Harley laughed, “That was impressive. What else you got?”

Ivy handed her a few more, and Harley tossed one more, managing to take off the door this time. “Let’s go!”

Inside, hired guns were waiting for them. Harley got to throwing the explosives as the vines that covered Ivy’s skin shot out and grabbed the men, tying them up or knocking them out. They worked together, taking the men out. Harley was thoroughly impressed with Ivy’s skills.

“Nice!” Harley raised her hand for Ivy to high five after the last of the men were taken out. Ivy high-fived it with a smirk.

They walked through a heavy door into a large room filled with cages. Animals of all sizes, from all ends of the world, were stuffed into tiny cages that were all stacked up next to each other.

“Oh, no!” Harley cried out, sticking her fingers through the cage of a tiger.

“Harley, careful,” Ivy warned.

“Look at them. The poor guys.”

“I know.” Ivy seemed to be withholding her anger. “Let’s free them.”

Harley nodded excitedly, already getting to swinging her bat at the lock on the cage. After the lock broke, she opened the cage, and the tiger came out. She moved on to the next cage, paying the now free tiger, no mind.

Ivy was already getting to work. She had found a key and was opening the cages that way. Even though it was faster, it wasn’t as much fun. Eventually, all the animals had been let out. Most of them had run off at the first sight of freedom, but a few were too scared to leave their cages.

Harley watched as Ivy spoke softly to a scared money. “It’s okay little guy. No one’s going to hurt you now. You’re free.”

Harley wandered back out of the room with the cages. Most of the hired guns guarding the building had gone running when they started freeing the animals. The ones Ivy had tied up with vines were shaking with fear. Ivy came out of the room, the monkey in her arms and a parrot on her head. The money jumped to the ground and scampered off, and the parrot followed closely behind.

“Job well done if I do say so myself.”

Ivy nodded.

A pig was sniffing one of the tied up guards. “Oh, he’s so cute!” Harley went over to scratch the pig. “Do you think I can keep him?”

“Don’t you already have a hyena?”

“Yeah.” Harley didn’t see what would be the matter with that.

“He might see the pig as dinner.”

“Oh right,” Harley pouted as she petted the pig.

“You know it is legal to own a pig in Gotham,” Ivy stated.

“If you’re trying to convince me to get rid of Bruce, there’s no way. I’ll have you know he’s house trained.”

Ivy sighed.

“You could take him. Please!” Harley pleaded, pouting.

“Fine.”

Harley cheered as she jumped up, hugging Ivy. “Thank you, thank you!” She kissed Ivy on her check. “You’re the best!”


	4. Chapter 4

Harley turned on the TV that next morning. Footage of exotic animals rampaging through the streets of Gotham covered the news. Local billionaire, and Harley’s newest celebrity crush, Bruce Wayne had taken to the news announcing that all the animals were sedated and were going to be released back into the wild. It seemed Harley and Ivy’s antics from last night had done some real impact.

“See, you got to make a bang,” Harley told Pam as she visited her in the flower shop.

“Well, I’m glad to hear none of the animals were killed and will be brought back to where they belong.”

Harley nodded. “How’s the pig?”

“Oh, it’s a girl, by the way,” Pam told her. “I haven’t thought of a good name yet.”

Harley thought for a few moments. “Ellie.”

“Cute.” Ivy smiled, liking it. “You know I could help you find a new look if you want.”

“You don’t like my look?” Harley asked, looking over herself.

“No I do, it’s very bold. It’s just not… blending in.”

“I don’t want to blend in.”

“You don’t have to. I just… I don’t want you to attract unwanted attention. Don’t you want somewhat of a normal life?”

“I never said that.”

“I just mean, you left the Joker. I’m guessing you don’t want to be associated with him anymore.”

Harley hummed. “I suppose your right.”

“Look, I’m just asking if you want to go out shopping.”

“Alright, sure.” Harley nodded. A night out, maybe that’s exactly what she needed.

-

“This is fun,” Harley said, trying on the next outfit covered in sequins.

“You really don’t care what other people think, do you?”

Harley shook her head. “Why should I?”

Pam shrugged.

“We should watch a movie after. We can get popcorn!”

“Yeah, sure.” Pam smiled softly.

They made it back to Ivy’s apartment. Harley dropped her bags running to hug Ellie. Ellie just snorted.

“You’re so cute.” Harley cooed. “I want to dress you up!”

Harley grabbed her bag and managed to get a rainbow tutu on to the large pig. Ivy just rolled her eyes.

“You can pick a movie.” Ivy turned her TV on. “I’ll get the popcorn ready.”

Harley scanned thorough the options picking out one as she settled into the couch with Ellie, ruffling through her bags of clothes she got. Ivy returned, placing the bowl of popcorn on the table in front of them, and Harley hit play. Harley was never good at focusing on movies though.

“So is Pam your real name?” She asked.

“Pamela Isley is my birth name, yes.”

Harley hummed. “Mine’s Harleen Quinzel.”

“Really?”

“I know, seems too convenient. How did you do that thing the other night, when you controlled those vines?”

Pamela ducked her head, and Harley sensed she reached a sensitive topic.

“You don’t have to tell me. At least tell me how you made those bombs though, they were so cool!”

“I just made them out of plants and chemicals from my lab.”

“You have a lab?”

Pamela nodded. “You want to see?”

Ivy’s lab was like the rest of her apartment, just with a whole lot more chemicals and lab equipment. “I used to be a scientist. I was studying botany. No one too me seriously being a woman in science.”

“I know what you mean. I used to be a psychologist.”

“You were a psychologist?” Ivy seemed unconvinced.

“I’m smarter then I look.” Harley put her hand on her hip.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, how do you go from being a psychologist to Harley Quinn?” She gestured at Harley.

“You become the psychologist for the Joker.”

“Oh.” Ivy understood everything at that moment. “There was an accident.” She began to say as she brushed the leaf of one of her plants with her finger. “I was an assistant in my professor’s lab. There was an explosion. My professor died, I survived somehow, but something happened. Something happened to me.”

She closed her eyes, and her body began to turn green, plants seemed to grow out of her skin. Harley was both shocked and intrigued by the transformation. She had always assumed it was makeup or something till up to this moment.

“I changed. I became something else. It was like, the plants, they became a part of me.” Ivy finished.

“Do you mind?” Harley asked, reaching out.

Ivy allowed her to touch the plants growing out of her skin.

“Does it hurt?’ Harley asked.

“No. When I’m like this, it feels more natural then when I look human. I feel more like myself in this form then my other.”

“You shouldn’t have to hide it.” Harley felt upset that she felt the need to hide her true form.

“I’m scared, I guess. I don’t want to attract a lot of attention.” She sighed.

“So, can you like, talk to plants?”

Ivy laughed. “I don’t know about actually communicate with them, but they seem to like me.” She reached out to a flower, and it seemed to fold itself to her touch.

“I can see that. It’s pretty cool.”

Ivy smiled.

“Thanks for tonight. I needed it. I haven’t had any friends for a long time.”

Ivy nodded. “I can’t imagine it was easy leaving the Joker.”

Harley shook her head.

“Well, I’m here if you ever just want to chill or need a partner to blow something up with. As long as it’s environmentally friendly.”

Harley laughed. “Okay Red.”


	5. Chapter 5

Harley was beginning to like Ivy, or Pamela. She’d come over often to chill in Ivy’s apartment. Sometimes she brought Bruce, and he managed to get along with Ellie surprisingly well. Even Ivy had to admit she was impressed with how loyal Bruce was to Harley and well behaved he was.

On the odd occasion when Harley got bored, she’d invite Ivy to go steel from a jewelry shop or something. She’d use some excuse about how they were blood diamonds. One time they blew up a store because it used real furs for their clothes. 

Ivy was teaching her a lot of new things that Harley had never paid much mind to before. Things about the environment and how humans impacted the ecosystem. Harley made small life changes, like making sure to recycle things properly and not litter. But there were some things she couldn’t change or give up, like taking long showers and eating meat.

Though Ivy made a point to educate Harley, she never tried to change her ways or pestered her too much.

Harley had gotten quite comfortable in Ivy’s apartment. In fact, some of her things would be forgotten there only for Harley to find them when she came round another day.

Harley was always comfortable with herself. One day after getting covered in mud after a scrape with some ruffians, Harley had washed up in Ivy’s shower. Her water had been turned off after she hadn’t paid the bill.

Harley showered with her clothes on, taking them off to let them drip dry. She wrapped herself in a towel and sprawled across Ivy’s couch watching TV.

“Here, I got you some clean clothes,” Ivy said, arriving with some clothes for Harley to put on.

“Thanks Red.” Harley dropped her towel, getting changed right in front of Ivy.

Ivy quickly looked away. “Harley, you could at least change in my room.”

“What? It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” Harley said, throwing the top on.

“Yes, but still.”

“Well, you can look now.”

Ivy’s cheeks were still pink from embarrassment, and Harley cocked a smile. “Did you like what you saw?” She teased.

Ivy blushed some more, making no comment.

Harley liked making Ivy blush. It was so cute and easy to do. She could do anything she would normally do, and Ivy would still blush.

-

Harley was sitting in her apartment, eating a cheese pizza when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find Pamela standing on the other side.

“What are you doing here?” Harley asked, letting her in.

“I wanted to run a new explosive I made by you.” Ivy handed it to her.

“Oh!” Harley weighed it in her hands. “Let’s go outside and test it out.”

The tossed the bombs, letting the explosions go off. They goofed around, tossing them at cans and other garbage while laughing.

“These are good,” Harley told her.

“Well, you can keep them.”

“Really?!”

Pamela nodded.

“Thank you.” Harley hugged and kissed her on the check. “You sure know how to charm a girl, don’t you?”


	6. Chapter 6

Harley was in Ivy’s apartment wearing nothing but a bra and short shorts. Ivy was working in her lab while Harley watched nature documentaries. Ellie grunted at her feet, wandering back and forth. Harley heard a soft meow and looked up to see a black cat in the window sill.

“Hey, there little guy.” Harley got up, slowly approaching the cat. The cat let her scratch it.

It was a little beaten up but looked pretty healthy. A black collar was around its neck, and Harley wondered who its owner was, as there was no tag.

“You want to come inside. I’m sure I could find you some food.” The cat jumped in. Harley went to the fridge, finding some milk and pouring it on to a plate.

“Red, we’ve got a friend,” Harley called out to Ivy.

Ivy came out of her lab, looking confused.

“Look who I found.” Harley scratched the cat’s head.

“Oh, that’s Shadow.” Ivy reached down to pick up the cat. “She’s a friend’s of mine.” Ivy worked her finger below the collar pulling out a piece of paper and letting go of the cat to unfold it.

“Your friend sends you a cat with messages?” Harley was suspicious.

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Who’s this friend?”

“I don’t know if I should tell you.”

“So a criminal then?” Harley figured.

“It’s nothing Harley. Don’t worry about it.”

“Fine.” Harley sighed. “I should get going anyway.”

“Alright. I’ll see you around.”

Harley nodded, waving goodbye before leaving.

-

This strange friend of Ivy’s began to bother Harley. She wasn’t sure why. She didn’t know Ivy had other friends till now, let alone other criminal friends. She didn’t like the idea of Ivy going off to commit some crime without her, having all the fun without her. It didn’t seem fair. And who was this friend anyways?

The friend got into Harley’s head. Harley kept imagining them as someone who saw themselves as better than her. With Ivy keeping it all a secret, it just concerned Harley more. What if it was someone dangerous, what if they hurt Ivy?

Harley snuck into Ivy’s apartment while she was working and looked through everything, trying to find the note. Finally, she found it, stamped with a paw print and everything. The only thing written was a place and a time.

Harley began scouting out the location early, hoping to find Ivy’s friend before Ivy came. Harley walked around the area, not sure whom or what she was looking for.

“What are you doing here?”

Harley flipped her head around, her large mallet at ready. A woman in all black, goggles and cat ear of all things stood where Harley just passed, as if she had come out of nowhere.

“Who are you?” Harley raised her mallet threateningly.

“The costume doesn’t give it away?”

“You like cats?” Harley thought it was pretty tacky, even for her.

The woman sighed. “How locked up did the Joker keep you? I’m Catwoman.”

“Never heard of you, sorry.” Harley could have sworn she saw the woman’s eyes roll beneath the yellow goggles.

“I told Ivy not to invite you.”

“She didn’t invite me. In fact, she told me nothing about you, which is precisely why I’m here.”

The woman snorted. “Are you jealous?”

“What!”

“Oh my god, you’re jealous. Aww, that’s so cute.”

“I’m not jealous,” Harley grumbled. “I just want to know who you are and how you know Ivy.”

“Pam? Pam and I have been friends since I came back here. We bumped into each other while stealing from a lab, and she helps me out when I need an extra hand. She was a friend when I had none after returning home.”

“Harley?”

Harley lowered her mallet as Ivy came out of the alley.

“What are you doing here?” Ivy asked.

“I want to be involved in the fun too.” Harley protested.

The cat lady looked over at Ivy then back at Harley. “Look, I don’t know you, and from what I do know, you’re a bit of a loose cannon. I don’t know if I can trust you, and this is my hit, so I’m calling the shots.”

“I’m a loose cannon!”

“Harley.” Ivy placed a hand on her shoulder. “Selina has a particular way of doing things, and it doesn’t include blowing things up. You wouldn’t have fun anyway.”

Harley glared over at the cat lady.

“Look, no disrespect. If I ever need something blown up, you know who to call.” The woman said

“Fine,” Harley huffed out. “I’ll go blow something up on my own then.”

-

A knock came from Harley’s door. She opened it to find a tall, tanned woman with long dark hair standing in the hallway.

“Who are you?” Harley asked, trying to figure out if she had some beef with this woman or not.

“Selina Kyle.” She offered her hand.

Harley shook it carefully.

“Friend of Pamela’s.” The woman finished.

“The cat lady!”

“Catwoman.” Selina specified.

“What do you want?” Harley crossed her arms.

“I’ve come to apologize about last night. I feel like we didn’t get off on the right foot.”

“I understood you clearly. You don’t like me.”

“Maybe. Pam’s tried to convince me otherwise. I’ve tried to warn her about you. That you weren’t good news. Then she reminded me that all I needed when I arrived back here was a friend, and maybe you need one too.”

“Are you offering? Because I’m not accepting.”

Selina sighed. “I just… I care about Pamela. She’s my friend. I don’t want you to hurt her.”

“She’s my friend too.”

“She likes you,” Selina stated.

Harley blinked.

“She hasn’t admitted it yet. But you should hear the way she talks about you. Anyway, we don’t have to be friends or whatever, but if you hurt Pam, I will kill you.” With that, Selina turned and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Harley brushed out her hair. She looked stupid without her pigtails. She parted her hair and braided them into ponytails. She didn't do too much makeup today. Some light blue eye shadow, foundation, mascara and red lipstick. The only slightly normal shirt she owned was a plain pink top that was a bit droopy. She flung a grey hoodie that she found in the dumpster over her shirt, putting on torn-up jeans that she’d drawn little hearts on with a black Sharpie. It was as normal as she could get, she thought before throwing on the one pair of sneakers that she owned.

"Harley?" Pamela blinked at her, shocked to see the transformation.

"When's your break? I'm hungry."

Harley devoured her sandwich as Pamela ate her vegan meal.

"This is delicious," Harley noted.

"You made a mess." Pam reached over to clean up the sauce that had dripped onto Harley’s shirt.

"Thanks." Harley murmured.

"You look nice. Though I have to admit I miss the normal you."

Harley was missing the sparkles and glitter too. The colour was severely lacking in this outfit.

"Your cat friend paid me a visit," Harley told her.

"Salina? She wasn't too rude I hope."

Harley shrugged. "I don't like her. But I don't think she likes me either. So, you just make friends with all the criminals you bump into?"

"Salina told you how we became friends then.” Ivy paused for a moment. “I just like to offer friendship to my fellow women."

"You didn't just befriend me because you felt bad for me?" Harley didn't like the idea of her being some charity case.

"No, I was being nice. I know it’s not easy making it on your own."

Harley had felt that. "Well, you’ve done a good job of making me forget. Maybe I could start again."

"You have been managing pretty well so far."

Harley smiled. "Maybe I should get back out there. Find love again."

"Is that something you want to do?" Pamela asked.

Harley shrugged, looking over at Ivy’s green eyes. Harley didn't know how to ask the words that were on her mind. _Do you like me, do you want to go on a date_? She didn’t remember this being so hard.

"Let's do something fun." She settled on. "We could go out to a club."

Ivy groaned. "That's not exactly my scene."

"Come on Red." Harley pleaded.

"Fine, but no extra fun stuff like hurting people or breaking things."

"What if someone is really mean?"

"Fine, but only if someone deserves it."

Harley smiled.

****

There was no way Harley was going to the club dressed the way she was. After Ivy finished working at the flower shop, she came over to Harley’s place as Harley had convinced her into getting ready with her. Harley blared loud music, having managed to convince Ivy to let her give her makeover.

“I really don’t think this is necessary.” Ivy tried to back out.

“It will be fun, trust me.”

Ivy closed her eyes, and Harley got to work. She went heavy on the green eye shadow and drew small vines with leaves on the right side of her face. She finished the look off with a bright red lip.

“Perfect.” Harley smiled at her handiwork. Now for an outfit.

Harley’s apartment was a mess, and her closet wasn’t much better, with most of the clothes spilling out onto the floor. A long dark green dress that shimmered in the right light hid under the piles of clothes.

“Here it is!” Harley remarked, finding it. “It will work perfectly.”

Ivy went to go try it on, and when she came out, Harley was taken away with how well of a job she did.

“It looks really nice,” Ivy told her.

“You’re stunning!” Harley clapped her hands. “I think we’re ready.”

-

Harley danced on the stage, having the time of her life. Ivy was smiling and dancing with her, though a bit more timid then Harley was. Harley secretly wanted some guy to come up and be rude to them so she could bash his head in, but surprisingly everyone was pretty nice.

Half-past midnight Harley was pretty drunk, and her words were starting to slur. Everything past that became a blur.


	8. Chapter 8

Harley woke up to find herself in Ivy’s bed.

“Red?” She murmured, her head spinning.

“Hey, good morning. I got you something for your hangover.” Ivy handed her a drink.

“Thanks.” Harley took it. “When did we come back to your place?”

“I didn’t think you were in any state to be alone by yourself.”

Harley couldn’t argue that. “Last night was fun.”

“I had fun too.”

“I like you Red.”

Ivy blushed, looking away.

“This tastes disgusting,” Harley said, swishing the drink around in the cup.

“That’s how you know it works.”

-

Harley fell back to sleep and woke up feeling much better. It seemed Ivy’s concoction had done its job.

Harley walked out of the room down the hallway. The aroma of the plants seemed warm and sweet today. Ivy stood in the kitchen, making food. She wore a short, simple, light green dress. She looked like her true self, green skin and all.

Harley sat down at the table, watching her. “What was your life like before?”

Ivy shrugged. “Pretty boring. I had a reasonably normal life. Not a lot of friends though.”

“Relationships?” Harley dared to tread.

“Not many, and none that lasted very long.”

Harley placed her chin into her hand.

“I’ve been thinking of a new recipe for a new toxin,” Ivy told her. “If I can contain some of the plant toxins in a compressed chamber, I could create a poisonous gas.” Ivy went on to theorize how she would go about it and what plants she would use. Harley enjoyed hearing her talk with such enthusiasm.

“You’re sexy when you talk science,” Harley smirked at her.

Ivy bushed and put the food she was cooking on to some plates. “Here, try some.” Ivy placed a plate in front of Harley.

“This is good,” Harley admitted after taking a bite. “Maybe I could help you make your new toxin.”

Ivy smiled. “I would appreciate that.”

-

Harley returned the next day to find Ivy working in her lab.

“Started without me?’ Harley asked.

“I had a thought,” Ivy said, not looking up from her work. “The plant toxins don’t affect me because of whatever happened to me, but they could hurt you. So I got to thinking about making a serum to make you immune to toxins.

“You’d do that for me?” Harley asked. Both touched and shocked.

“Well, I’m not sure if it works, to be honest. You’d be the test subject.”

“Alright, let’s give it a shot.” Harley sat down as Ivy prepared the needle.

“I hate needles.” Harley closed her eyes, looking away as Ivy injected her.

“So?” Ivy asked after she was finished.

“I feel fine,” Harley stated. “How do we test if it works?”

Ivy went to retrieve a plant. “This one produces a toxin that knocks people out. Nothing harmful.”

Harley smelled it, and nothing happened. “I think it worked!”

“One more test.” Ivy grabbed another plant.

Harley smelled it. “What does this one do?”

“It immobilizes you.”

Harley stood up. Her body was completely unaffected.

“It worked!” Ivy smiled with pride.

“How did you make it anyway?”

“I used my blood.”

“You used your blood! You put your blood in me? Gross.” Harley stuck out her tongue. “But thank you.” She hugged Ivy.

Ivy smiled. “Now we can get to work.”

-

The best way to try out their new toys was in the field, of course. Stealing from a high-end jewelry store was just a bit of fun. Getting to kick ass and beat some men up had just been a extra bonus.

Harley and Ivy were laughing as they ran down the streets of Gotham, covered in jewellery.

“That man’s face.” Harley laughed. “And you with the plants.” Harley mimicked Ivy’s moves from earlier.

Ivy just laughed, smiling.

“This was so much fun.” Harley jumped up and down as they reached her place.

She leaned in and kissed Ivy. She kissed her on the lips without even giving it a second thought. Ivy seemed to turn beat red, and Harley chuckled to herself, it seemed her nickname for the woman fit perfectly.

“See you around Red.”


	9. Chapter 9

Harley crept up the fire escape to Ivy’s apartment. She always came unannounced, but today she heard another voice in the apartment as she came to the window.

“What are you going to do?” She heard the voice say.

“I don’t know, that’s why I called you.” She heard Ivy’s voice.

The other voice, a woman’s, laughed. “You could just ask her out, you know.”

“It could just Harley being Harley.”

Harley perked up at the sound of her name.

“She kissed you Pam. I think she likes you.”

Harley moved, getting a better visual. It was the cat lady, the one that was friends with Ivy.

“You don’t know how she is.” Ivy continued.

“True, but you won’t know till you ask.”

Ivy sighed.

“My offer still stands by the way.”

Ellie came to the window, having noticed Harley and began to snort friendly at her.

“Shoe,” Harley whispered, waving at the pig. The metal stairs of the fire escape creaked, causing Harley to pull back, attempting to hide.

“Harley?” Ivy popped her head out the window. She cocked an eyebrow at Harley.

“I came to say hi, but I heard your friend, so…” Harley trailed off.

“You can come in if you want. Selina won’t bite, I promise.” Ivy offered her hand, and Harley took it as Ivy helped her through the window.

Selina stood in a designer pantsuit, her long black hair straightened to perfection. She clutched an expensive-looking wallet with manicured nails.

“You’re fancy today,” Harley noted.

Selina just smiled. “I should get going, parties to attend and what not. I have to keep up appearances. Don’t be afraid to call Pam, nice seeing you Harley.” She waved and walked out the door, gracefully in her heels.

“You were talking to her about me,” Harley stated.

Ivy seemed nervous at Harley’s admission that she had been listening to the conversation. “I just needed to talk to a friend. I needed an outsider’s opinion.”

“On what?”

“On you. You can be hard to read sometimes.”

Harley didn’t know whether or not to be offended.

“Maybe it’s just me. I don’t spend a lot of my time around other people.”

“I kissed you because I like you,” Harley stated, making it simple for her. “I thought you liked me too.”

“I do.” Ivy quickly replied. She began wringing her hands. “I do.” She repeated more softly. “I just don’t know what to expect from you. I mean, do you want to date, or is this more of a friends-with-benefits kind of thing?”

Harley kicked her foot against the floor. “You know how my last relationship was like. I don’t even know if I can do the whole relationship thing properly, but I want that again. I’ve always been in love with the idea of love. I don’t want to hurt you Pam. I like being with you, hanging out with you. I like seeing you smile and making you blush. I like how you’re comfortable being who you really are around me. I know I can trust you. I know you could never hurt me. I haven’t had that in a long time.”

Ivy reached out and took Harley’s hands. She moved closer and cupped Harley’s cheek, leaning in and kissing her. It was sweet and soft, and Harley melted into it.

“I would never hurt you Harley,” Ivy promised. “I want you to heal, to find yourself. You helped me become more comfortable with my own self.” She stroked Harley’s check staring softly into her eyes. “I think you’re so gorgeous with how confident you are in yourself. It’s very sexy.”

“I know I am.” Harley grinned.

“I would love to be with you. If that’s what you want.”

Harley nodded. “That’s what I want.”

-

Ivy’s thumb rubbed softly against Harley’s torso. The morning light seeped through the window of her bedroom, the plants rustling.

“Good morning.” Ivy hummed.

Harley pulled her head down for a kiss.

“You’re so beautiful.” She said, tucking Ivy’s hair back.

Ivy smiled, stroking Harley’s hand. “Last night was fun.”

“I’m glad you had fun.” Harley cocked a smile.

Ivy snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m going to make dinner.”

-

Getting back into a relationship was never going to be simple for Harley. Ivy didn’t push her though. When Harley came over, it was on her terms, though it was becoming increasingly frequent. The amount of things Harley left in Pamela’s apartment stayed there, making a mess of the already jungle of an apartment.

Sometimes after Ivy went to work in the flower shop, she’d find that Harley had spent the day there. It didn’t bother her at all, in fact, it warmed her heart. But it scared her because she had plans.

-

“No, Bruce cannot stay the night.” Ivy insisted.

“But-”

Ivy placed her finger on Harley’s lips. “It’s too much. There’s not enough space.”

Harley seemed sad, and Ivy hated saying no.

“I’ve wanted a new place for a while.” Ivy began. “A proper greenhouse. A proper lab. Selina she was helping me look. We were going to move in together.”

Harley blinked at the betrayal, anger coursing through her. “You were going to move in with her! And you didn’t tell me!”

“Please don’t be upset.” Ivy tried to calm her down. “This was before you came. Before we…” Ivy trailed off. “Selina found a place. She invited me to move in with her. But I said no, because of you.”

Harley pondered the admission. “So you didn’t take her offer, even though you wanted to, because of me. Why?”

“Things were just starting between us. I wasn’t sure what would happen to us if I moved. I like you. I didn’t want to lose you.”

Harley felt a swell of warmth build in her chest. “Do you want to move?” She asked timidly.

Ivy nodded slowly as though cautious of her answer. “Selina, she won’t be there. She’s created herself an alter-ego of a socialite. If you want, we could move in together.”

Harley’s heart stopped. Moving in was a big step. “I’m not sure-”

“You don’t have to.” Ivy cut her off.

“If you want to move, I’ll help you though.”

Ivy smiled, happy to see that Harley wasn’t too upset by the change.


	10. Chapter 10

The place Selina had found was an abandoned facility that once was a botanical garden. It was the perfect home for Ivy, with an expansive greenhouse and everything.

Harley held a couple of Ivy’s bags, spinning around in the glass dome that seemed to have once been something grand.

"This is nice," Harley said, putting the bags down.

"Just needs a little love and care." Ivy lifted a dropping flower up. "Isn’t it amazing how they grow, despite everything?"

Weeds grew through tiny cracks, and branches hung through the ceiling. The overgrowth seemed cold and unwelcoming at first. But after Ivy walked in, they turned more green and vibrant. A smell like that of a forest wafted through the place. It felt strangely magical.

"What now?" Harley asked.

-

The next few days, Harley came to help Ivy convert the abandoned building into a home. There were sometimes men doing construction work, but Harley never spoke to them.

It had been over a week, and most of the work had been finished. Harley was sitting outside, playing with Ellie, staring over the building.

"She seems happy," Harley spoke quietly to the pig.

She gave out a sigh, wondering why she was being so hesitant about Ivy's offer.

"There you are." Ivy smiled at her walking over.

"Hi." Harley looked up at her from where she was sitting on the ground. "You know, the basement could be turned into a cool lair."

Ivy hummed.

"Lots of space for Bruce and me."

Ivy perked up in hopefulness. "You’re welcome to come whenever you like and stay for however long you want to. We don't need to put labels on anything."

"You wouldn't mind?" Harley asked.

"As long as you keep your mess to your stuff." Ivy teased. "Like you said, there's more than enough room."

Harley stood up, brushing the grass off her legs. "Could make a whole display for my weapons."

Ivy chuckled.

"Pam." Harley took her hand. "I like you a lot. I'm just scared, that's all. But if I move in, I want to be your girlfriend."

"There's no one else but you," Ivy said, cupping her face and bringing her in for a kiss. "Move in, please." She asked once again.

"I have a lot of stuff."

"I know." Ivy smiled.

-

It had been a few weeks and all of Harley’s stuff had been moved in. Harley was working out in the basement lair that Ivy let her make into her own. Sweat dripped down her as exhaustion began to kick in. She has all but worn herself out for the day. She made her way upstairs, taking a shower to cool down and clean up. When she came out, she found Ivy in the kitchen drinking tea, wearing her lingerie nightdress. She was reading a book and smiled over at Harley. "Good workout?"

"Would have been better with you." Harley teased.

Ivy blushed, rolling her eyes.

Bruce came over and Harley scratched his head, pouring herself some tea.

“You know, I think we could use a painting on this wall.” Harley said, looking at the bare wall.

“What are you suggesting?”

“Want to have some fun?”

The next day the most expensive painting to ever enter Gotham hung on their wall.


End file.
